Smith & Tabone receive their sentences

From Capital New York:

Former New York state senator Malcolm Smith was sentenced Wednesday to seven years in prison after being convicted of trying to bribe his way onto the Republican ballot in the 2013 race for New York City mayor.

Smith, a Democrat and the former Senate majority leader, was convicted in February of wire fraud, bribery and extortion.

Co-defendant Vincent Tabone, a Republican party leader in Queens who was convicted of taking a bribe from an undercover FBI agent, was sentenced to 42 months in prison.

“Bribes and kickbacks should never play a role in the selection of candidates for public office,” U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement. “By attempting to buy and sell a spot on New York City’s mayoral ballot, Malcolm Smith and Vincent Tabone corrupted one of the most fundamental tenets of the democratic process, that candidates cannot bribe their way onto a ballot.”

Malcolm Smith, Vince Tabone convicted

From NBC:

Former Democratic state Sen. Malcolm Smith has been found guilty of scheming to bribe Republican party leaders so he could run on the GOP line in a New York City mayoral race, making him the latest ex-Albany leader to be convicted of corruption.

Smith is the latest line in Albany's corrupt legacy. Sheldon Silver, speaker of the State Assembly for more than two decades, was arrested late last month on federal corruption charges.

Vince Tabone was also convicted on all charges.

Tabone really stepped in it!

From the NY Post:

As jury selection began Monday in the new bribery trial for former state senator Malcolm Smith, his co-defendant was slapped with ​new charges — for allegedly tampering with a witness.

Prosecutors say former Queens Republican Vice Chairman Vincent Tabone on May 23 confronted Philip Ragusa, who then chaired the borough’s GOP party, at his home and tried to convince him not to testify when Tabone and Smith were on trial earlier this year for trying to fix the 2013 mayoral race.

That White Plains federal court proceeding resulted in a June mistrial following the feds’ late release of more than 92 hours of recordings – including 28 hours in Yiddish yet to be translated.

A superseding indictment in the $200,000 bribery case now alleges Tabone spoke to the “county chairman,” who is not mentioned by name, while the chairman was “failing in health” and “resting in bed” and “encouraged” him not to testify. Tabone also allegedly claimed “no court” could “force” Ragusa to testify. The death-bed conversation took place an hour before Ragusa was supposed to give a deposition to prosecutors.

Ragusa, who was never charged with wrongdoing, was expected to eventually testify at the trial in defense of another co-defendant, former Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Queens), but died in June of leukemia.

I gotta laugh at this, because Tabone originally claimed that he would get the charges dismissed because he wasn't an elected official and therefore couldn't be charged with bribery and now he went ahead and screwed himself. Once you're charged with a federal crime, it's best not to talk to anyone because the wiretaps and nervous witnesses are more than likely gonna trip you up.

Mistrial for Tabone & Smith

From Pix11:

A federal judge has declared a mistrial for a state senator and a former Queens Republican leader.

A New York City councilman has opted to go forward with his trial.

Federal Judge Kenneth Karas declared the mistrial Tuesday for state Sen. Malcolm Smith and ex-GOP leader Vincent Tabone. Their retrial is scheduled to start Jan. 5, 2015.

Former New York City Councilman Daniel Halloran is due back in court next week.

Halloran, Smith trial on hold

From the Times Ledger:

Hours of conversations and hundreds of text messages in Yiddish have stalled the federal corruption trial of state Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-Hollis), former Bayside Councilman Daniel Halloran and the ex-vice chairman of the Queens Republican Party, Vincent Tabone.

Attorneys representing the Queens trio, who are charged with participating in Smith’s alleged scheme to bribe his way onto the GOP line for the 2013 mayoral election, have urged the judge to dismiss the indictments and call a mistrial because they say the government did not turn over Yiddish conversations quickly enough for them to prepare for proceedings.

Judge Kenneth Karas instructed prosecutors and defense attorneys to submit documents detailing their arguments over the weekend and planned to resolve the dispute during a Monday conference in federal court in White Plains, according to Herb Hadad, a spokesman for prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Hadad said the judge intended to call the jury back Tuesday and inquire whether the jurors could remain in court past June, when he had initially planned to wrap up the trial.

Karas then will decide how to proceed.

Tabone says he was too drunk to be corrupt

From the NY Post:

A Queens Republican operative, accused of pocketing $25,000 as part of a failed scheme to help state Sen. Malcolm Smith rig last year’s mayoral race, was so boozed up when he took the cash that he thought he was being paid for legal consulting services, a lawyer claimed Thursday.

Leo Ahern, a lawyer for ex-Queens GOP Vice Chairman Vincent Tabone, accused the government of entrapment. He told a federal jury his client had one too many vodka tonics with a politically connected group at Sparks Steak House in Midtown on Valentine’s Day 2013. It was then, Ahern claimed, that an undercover FBI agent and a wire-wearing, crooked developer-turned-informant walked Tabone outside to a parked Audi and paid him the cash.

The Rockland County developer was Moses Stern, whom the feds say Smith — one of the state’s most powerful Democrats — turned to for money and help in a $200,000 bribery scheme to get the Republican ballot for mayor.

“[Tabone] had six or seven vodka toxics without eating,” Ahern told the jury in White Plains federal court. “He was hoping to be retained [by Stern] as a real estate lawyer or a political consultant.”

Ahern said tapes of the exchange will show his client “could barely talk” when he took the cash. He also said Tabone sought contact information from the undercover agent he knew as “Raj,” so he could send “retainer” papers and make “everything up and up.” Ahern claimed Raj gave Tabone a business card — but later took it back.

The push for fair election funding

From the NY Post:

Rich liberal actors are demanding that Albany use state money to help pay for political campaigns.

In interviews released yesterday by the Fair Elections for New York Campaign, Alec Baldwin, Kathleen Turner, Jason Alexander of “Seinfeld” and Kathryn Erbe of “Law and Order: Criminal Intent” urged lawmakers to pass campaign-finance reform before adjourning for the summer.

“I’m Alec Baldwin with a message for politicians in New York,” said Baldwin, who has toyed with the idea of running for mayor. “It’s time to stop talking about cleaning up Albany, and start doing it.”

Turner in her video says, “I can’t believe the stories I hear coming out of Albany today. State legislators patting each other down for wires . . . Isn’t that embarrassing?”

Actually, that wasn't state legislators. That was Vince Tabone who patted down an FBI informant, who actually was wearing a wire. And yes, that was very embarrassing. Mostly for Tabone.

Queens GOP dumps Halloran, backs Saffran; 2 other candidates enter race

From Crains:

The longtime former chief-of-staff for Republican Councilman Daniel Halloran is looking to run for her old boss' seat—as a Democrat. The councilman was recently hit with bribery allegations, setting off a free-for-all for his post.

Chrissy Voskerichian, who had a reputation as extremely loyal to Mr. Halloran but quit soon after the scandal hit, registered a campaign committee Friday to raise money for a possible run. In an interesting twist, a knowledgeable Queens source said, unlike Mr. Halloran, Ms. Voskerichian is registered as a Democrat and was expected to enter a crowded Democratic primary. Her voter registration status as a Democrat was noted in a 2011 Queens Chronicle profile.

"You could say she's more of a conservative Democrat. She's probably got a good shot, since she's well respected and knows everyone in the community," said the Queens source, who is not affiliated with any Democratic campaign.

Also from Crains:

The Queens Republican Party is officially dumping embattled Republican Councilman Daniel Halloran.

A Queens GOP screening committee voted unanimously Thursday evening to instead back the candidacy of Dennis Saffran, an attorney who lost a 2001 race for the same seat by a mere 400 votes, for the northeast Queens seat held by Mr. Halloran, according to party chairman Phil Ragusa. The Queens GOP's executive committee is all but certain to follow suit next Tuesday.

"[Halloran] is a Republican, and he can decide whether or not he wants to run. I can't say whether he's innocent or guilty," said Mr. Ragusa. "But he's got a cloud hanging over his head. He's got to make up his own mind, but I don't think it would be a good idea."

The bribery scandal also ensnared former Queens GOP executive vice-chairman Vincent Tabone, who has since been replaced by former Councilman Anthony Como. Mr. Tabone is accused of accepting a cash bribe. It's unclear whether Mr. Halloran will try to run for re-election. He did not return a request for comment.

From the Queens Chronicle:

A City Council candidate’s long-rumored run was made official this week, as John Duane formally kicked off his campaign after months of fundraising and behind-the-scenes legwork.

The Little Neck resident spent one term in the state Assembly nearly three decades ago and is making a second push for public office since that initial stint in Albany. (Duane lost to Ed Braunstein for the 26th Assembly District seat in 2010.)

Duane said his drive to represent the people of Northeast Queens has not diminished since his long-ago stint in Albany, and in fact has only grown.

“I certainly know the struggles my neighbors have had, and I’ve had them as well,” the Democrat said. “I’ve spent my whole life serving my community.”

The 59-year-old often portrays his candidacy and potential stint in the City Council as a time of bridge-building and nuts-and-bolts legislating. Transportation, education and public safety top his priorities list, as well as veterans issues. The latter concern distinguishes him from his potential opponents.

Pols plead not guilty

The things you learn from TV. Malcolm Smith's office is in back of a Popeye's restaurant. Only in Jamaica!

Vince Tabone is an angel

From the Daily News:

Former GOP honcho Vince Tabone has lawyered up -- and his new rep says the ex-operative will beat the bribery charges against him.

On the same day U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara raged against a pervasive corruption culture he said can only be changed through wholesale reform, Tabone's attorney called her client a "pillar" of his community who will be vindicated by the truth.

Tabone, former vice-chairman of the Queens County Republican Party, is charged with accepting payoffs to help state Sen. Malcolm Smith score a pass into the GOP mayoral primary while remaining a Democrat.

Lawyer Deborah Misir pushed back against characterizations of Tabone as a greedy, self-impressed hack in the wake of the federal case, which also resulted in charges against Smith, Queens City Councilman Dan Halloran, former Bronx GOP Chairman Jay Savino and the mayor and deputy mayor of Spring Valley.

Instead, she said, Tabone not only worked thousands of unpaid hours in the GOP's service, but has been a dedicated familiy man, active member of his church and loyal community servant.

Halloran loses staff, pisses off Quinn

From the Daily News:

Queens City Councilman Dan Halloran is losing another top aide in the wake of his arrest on federal corruption charges.

halloran by hagen.jpgI tweeted earlier about Legislative Director John Mulvey's plan to leave Halloran's staff this Friday.

Beating him to the door after bombshell allegations that Halloran conspired to help state Sen. Malcolm Smith get into the GOP primary for mayor: The councilman's trusty chief of staff, Chrissy Voskerichian, who took off on Monday.

AND

Tabone has emailed friends and acquaintances, offering to perform legal work at cut-rate prices.

“I find that this is the year where I need to focus my energies on growing my law practice,” Tabone wrote, according to a copy of the email obtained by the Daily News.

“If you are spread thin and can not make an appearance or a transaction doesn’t fit your parameters please keep me in mind!”

Tabone’s plea made no mention of the legal jam he’s in.

From the NY Post:

Halloran’s office issued a delusional press release yesterday about capital spending — without mentioning that he’s lost his legislative powers after being charged with taking a bribe in a sensational federal corruption case that also ensnared state Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-Queens) and two Republican Party leaders.

“I thank my hard-working staff and all the constituents who put so much time and effort into this process over the past several months,” Halloran is quoted saying in the release.

“We learned a great deal. I especially congratulate the winners and encourage even more participation next year in every district.”

Council Speaker Christine Quinn announced last week that she and the Queens council delegation were assuming control of Halloran’s funds, so he’s out of the picture.

“He doesn’t have any fund-making decisions,” said Jamie McShane, Quinn’s spokesman. “He was stripped.”

The constituent recommendations are “nonbinding,” McShane noted.

From the Gotham Gazette:

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn called Councilman Dan Halloran's press release celebrating his district's participatory budget "stupid" and "outrageous."

Quinn spoke about the embattled Republican councilman during a press conference in City Hall today, referencing one of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's oft-used turns of phrase.

"I don't usually quote Mike Bloomberg, but it's one of the stupidest things I have ever seen," Quinn said, adding that Halloran would have no say in how discretionary funds would be allocated for the projects his residents voted on last week.

"I don't care how many stupid press releases he issues," she said.

Quotes about Dan & Vince

From Facebook:


From City and State:

Amid the chaos surrounding New York City Councilman Dan Halloran’s alleged involvement in a corruption and bribery scheme with state Sen. Malcolm Smith and two city GOP operatives, Halloran has to defend his Council seat from one of a slew of Democratic opponents. Two of them, former Cuomo administration employee Austin Shafran and urban planner Paul Graziano, put out statements about Halloran’s troubles.

“These are serious and disturbing charges from the FBI which need to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Shafran said in a statement. “Public service is a privilege, and violations of the public’s trust cannot be tolerated. Anyone involved in this scandal should immediately come clean because the people deserve to know the truth so justice can be done.”

Graziano released a statement noting that he had seen “a lot of things being done by Dan Halloran that I thought were inappropriate,” which led him to enter the race. Asked to elaborate, Graziano detailed his battles with Halloran over rezoning in District 19, where Halloran allegedly pushed for a zoning change to help the business of an associate with ties to the Gambino crime family.

Halloran did not respond to calls for comment about the rezoning dispute. Two other candidates challenging Halloran, attorney Paul Vallone and former Assemblyman John Duane, could not be reached for comment about Halloran’s corruption charges.

Of course, the above fails to mention that Shafran was Smith's spokesperson in Albany for quite a while...

Interesting choice of Facebook profile picture for a Republican...

The Queens Gazette carries a front page "article" on their front page this week, consisting only of a quote from Paul Vallone, who is currently vacationing in Florida, and no one else:

"The corruption charges against Dan Halloran are very troubling. If these allegations prove to be true, this conduct is an egregious violation of the public's trust and those who are found guilty in this scheme should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said Vallone. “Now is the time for integrity and trust – principles which the Vallone Family have embodied for over three generations and which I will bring to the 19th City Council seat."

From the NY Times:

William C. Thompson Jr., another Democratic candidate, who said Ms. Quinn had failed to curb “a history of corruption and a broken system” of earmarks in the Council. A third Democratic candidate, Sal F. Albanese, accused Ms. Quinn of “abuse.”

From WNYC:

"Until we ban member items, it's just not been enough," argued De Blasio who said City Council should replace the member item practice with what he calls a merit-based system, or one that gives spending choices to groups of local residents, which some districts have tried on a smaller scale.

Comptroller John Liu, who's been embroiled in a fundraising scandal of his own, released a brief statement Tuesday morning calling the news, "shocking."

"When there is suspicion that taxpayers' money is being abused, investigations should be carried out quickly and thoroughly," Liu said. The trial of members of his campaign staff related to a straw donor scheme is scheduled to resume this month.

Republican mayoral candidate Joe Lhota says the arrests of local Republican leaders yesterday, including two who had endorsed his bid for mayor, demands more ethics reform in Albany and New York City.

"There needs to be a change here," Lhota said, offering a good government critique that also dings Quinn at the same time. "Transparency on all financial items. Whether it's in government or in the process of campaigning, on what agreements are made between the members of council and the organizations they're giving money to. The taxpayers of New York shouldn't be finding out about the actions of various elected officials through the prism of a US Attorney."

From Capital New York:

"I do not think this is a reason to conclude that member items should not be given," Quinn said today.

"In the case of Dan Halloran, this senior citizen group did nothing wrong," she continued. "Why should they become the victim of an alleged criminal's activities?"

Rather than call for their abolition, Quinn offered a full-throated defense of the member-item system in the Council, which has undergone substantial reform since the slush fund scandal of 2008.

"I think it is the tightest system you'll find in any legislative body in the country," said Quinn.

"When I became speaker, I largely inherited a process around member items that was an honor system," she said. "If a member said, 'Fund X group,' the assumption was...it was a good group. We no longer have that system. We have largely what is a verification system."

Quinn did, however, say the Council was reviewing all of Halloran's prior member items and stripping him of the ability to dole out new ones during the next budget cycle.

She also suggested he consider resigning.

"I think Councilmember Halloran owes the people of his district a great deal of thought about whether he is actually able to continue to serve them, conduct the defense I'm sure he believes he deserves, and do both of those at the same time," she said.

Quinn also said she disagrees with Bloomberg's argument that the allegations against Halloran and Smith present a strong argument in favor of nonpartisan elections, though she didn't explain why.

From the Daily News:

Ragusa said he first heard about the arrests on the radio this morning and "almost jumped out of bed."

He said he knew nothing about the case, including Tabone's alleged involvement, and was neither approached by anyone offering a bribe or interrogated by the feds ("Knock on wood, no. I hope they never show up either," he added.)

And to wrap up, from the NY Post:

Should Bob Turner lead the Queens GOP?

From The Politicker:

In the wake of bribery charges being brought against the Queens Republican Party’s executive vice president, Republican Councilman Eric Ulrich is calling for former Congressman Bob Turner to the lead the party.

“I want to see Bob Turner as the next chairman and I want [Queens GOP Chair] Phil Ragusa to resign immediately,” Mr. Ulrich told Politicker. “I believe Ragusa has an obligation to step aside. The only person who can bring peace and bring people together is Bob Turner because of his integrity, character and ability to work with people on different sides. He’s very conciliatory.”

Mr. Turner lost his congressional seat in the decennial redistricting process last year. He has been a rumored candidate to replace Mr. Ragusa, who angered some party insiders when he ran a primary opponent against Mr. Ulrich’s State Senate bid last year–the latest in what has been an ongoing feud between the party’s two factions. For his part, Mr. Ulrich also tried and failed to oust Mr. Ragusa in 2011.

Mr. Ulrich further said he was shocked that his colleague, Republican Councilman Dan Halloran, was charged with participating in an alleged bribery scheme to land Democratic State Sen. Malcolm Smith in the Republican primary, but was not surprised Vince Tabone, the executive vice president of the Queens GOP, was arrested as well.

Dan Halloran, Malcolm Smith, Vince Tabone arrested

UPDATE: Here's the complaint if you have some extra reading time.

From Eyewitness News:

Authorities say New York State Senator Malcolm Smith and New York City Councilman Dan Halloran were arrested Tuesday morning as part of an ongoing corruption case.

They will be arraigned later today in federal court in White Plains.

Also arrested were Spring Valley Mayor Noramie Jasmin and Deputy Mayor Joseph Desmaret.

Two others, identified as Vicent Tabone and Joseph Savine, are also facing charges in the corruption probe.

From the NY Post:

State Sen. Malcolm Smith and city Councilman Dan Halloran were arrested this morning on charges they plotted to rig this year’s mayoral election through fraud and bribes.

The pols allegedly formed an alliance built on cash payments and fraud to get Smith — one of the state’s top Democrats — placed on the GOP mayoral ballot, sources said.

FBI agents arrested them both at their Queens homes shortly after 6 a.m.

“I have no idea,” Republican Halloran, in handcuffs, told a Post reporter when asked if he knew why he was being arrested.

“I’m sure the truth will come out once I have an opportunity to find out what’s going on.”

The FBI declined to comment.

Smith was trying to buy off Republican leaders because he needed the party’s support in at least three boroughs in order to run as a GOP candidate without even changing his own party affiliation, the sources said.

“It’s incredible,” a source said of the alleged plot.

To get on the GOP ballot, Smith allegedly enlisted Halloran, a Republican, to set up meetings with party leaders and negotiate thousands of dollars in bribes. The money was masked as payments for legal and accounting services, sources said.

Halloran allegedly collected thousands in bribes for himself along the way, the sources said.

He is separately charged with taking bribes from a consultant in return for up to $80,000 in City Council discretionary funding.

The feds were already investigating Halloran when they got wind of the alleged ballot-manipulating plan in November, the sources said. Smith met with his alleged co-conspirators as recently as February.

Queens GOP gets big booster

From Crain's:

Supermarket billionaire John Catsimatidis is continuing his pattern of offering financial support to those willing to support his mayoral bid: His just-posted campaign filing shows $23,000 in payments to the Queens Republican Party's housekeeping account on March 1, which came after the Queens Republican Party officially endorsed his candidacy.

In December, Mr. Catsimatidis bluntly told Crain's that his donations to political parties "depends on who is supporting me."

Regardless of the payment, it's not surprising that the Queens Republicans would back Mr. Catsimatidis. He has had a long relationship with the party leadership. And its executive vice-chairman, Vincent Tabone, is a paid consultant on Mr. Catsimatidis' campaign. Mr. Tabone also works for Ms. Catsimatidis' Red Apple Group. In general, Mr. Catsimatidis' generosity over the years had helped endear him to the various county chairmen.

Queens GOP under FBI investigation

From the NY Post:

The FBI is investigating the Queens Republican Party, its consultants and at least three people it recommended to the city Board of Elections, according to sources recently quizzed by federal agents.

The probe appears to be focused on how board employees may have used their official positions to further their careers as political consultants, as well as their party’s ambitions in local primary elections.

Board employees are recommended by both political parties in each of the five boroughs and are hired by board commissioners.

The names of at least three employees recommended by the Queens GOP — including Stephen Graves, whom the board suspended in April after being caught on tape soliciting cash from a company seeking a contract — came up in questions posed by the FBI, the sources said.

One source said Queens GOP Chairman Philip Ragusa and Executive Vice Chairman Vincent Tabone pushed a board official out of her job for not taking a rival, Myrna Littlewort, off the ballot during a state committee leadership race.

The official, Katherine James, the board’s former deputy chief clerk, said, “They wanted Myrna off the ballot, and there was no way I could do that fair and square.”

The federal probe stems from reports in The Post detailing politicians’ complaints that Queens GOP consultants tried milking them for cash, according to two sources interviewed by the feds.

North Shore Towers playing favorites?

From the Daily News:

BEHIND THE locked gates of North Shore Towers in Floral Park is more than some of the most exclusive real estate in eastern Queens.

There's also a potential gold mine of votes.

But some candidates running for the 26th Assembly seat, which includes North Shore Towers, said those gates are more open to some than others.

Candidates and residents said access to the complex is tightly controlled by Murray Lewinter, a former assemblyman and lobbyist who lives there and runs its political action committee. A candidate's forum in May included only two candidates: Ed Braunstein, who has the backing of the Queens Democratic Party, and Republican Vince Tabone. A video of that forum is still being replayed on the complex's in-house channel.

The three other Democrats on the Sept. 14 Primary ballot - Steve Behar, John Duane and Elio Forcina - were not invited.

North Shore Towers has a large population of older Jewish voters - an important voting bloc to elected officials. Mayor Bloomberg and others have often visited to court votes during campaign season.

Photo from Forgotten NY.

The next cog in the Queens Machine!

From the Daily News:

The crowded field of candidates running for Assemblywoman Ann-Margaret Carrozza's soon-to-be-vacant 26th District seat are furious about a flyer being mailed out by Ed Braunstein.

"Albany is an embarrassment. We deserve better," reads the colorful piece of literature, which appeared in mailboxes in northeast Queens last week. "Career politicians are completely out of touch with our values."

Braunstein, a newcomer to the local political scene, has the backing of the powerful Queens Democratic Party. He also works for Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, which makes his claims questionable, according to primary opponents.

"All the candidates are running on our records," said Democratic hopeful Steve Behar. "We have a history in the district of activism. It's indefensible to call himself a reformer."

Behar pointed out that Braunstein's uncle is high-caliber lobbyist Brian Meara.

"We're outraged," said Elio Forcina, a Whitestone Democrat vying for the seat. "He is tied in with lobbyists and lobbyists are running his campaign and he works for Sheldon Silver, and he tells the public he is a reform candidate?"

Former Assemblyman John Duane, another Democratic candidate, said there is a "disconnect" between Braunstein's claim to be an agent of change and his deep connections to the Queens Democratic Party and top elected officials.

"He's running a campaign on status-quo party organization," he said, "These people haven't done anything to change Albany."

In another "Odd Couple"-like twist, Braunstein's camp sent out a press release touting endorsements by Democrats Jerry Iannece and Paul Vallone.

Vallone and Iannece faced off in a bitter Council primary battle last year. They both ended up losing to newcomer Kevin Kim, who was then defeated by Republican Dan Halloran in an even uglier general election.

Just when you thought it couldn't get worse...

From the Times Ledger:

Evan Stavisky, a spokesman for Braunstein’s campaign, pointed out that Cuomo, who is running on a campaign of reforming Albany, had thrown his weight behind Braunstein.

We may need a scorecard for this

From the Daily News:

Last week's indictment of one of Mayor Bloomberg's top reelection operatives has set the political rumor mill on fire, putting scrutiny on both the prosecutor and the prosecuted - all seen through the prism of everyone's particular biases.

John Haggerty was charged with stealing $1.1 million of Bloomberg's money by planning an Election Day poll-watching effort but never actually doing it.

It's a case with slam-dunk elements, like the $833,000 that ended up in Haggerty's hands right before he bought out his brother's share of the family home.

It's also a case with shades of gray, like whether Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. can prove that Haggerty didn't just do a sloppy job on a handshake deal, especially since the Bloomberg campaign never complained.

People on Team Bloomberg insist the mayor was ripped off, and would rather not have it show up in court - especially with Bloomberg likely to be called to testify.

They have grumbled for months that Vance is pursuing the case hard because he's a pal of legendary former DA Robert Morgenthau - who left office nursing grudges against the mayor.

Among Haggerty's friends, though, the suspicion is that Vance is cracking down on him to curry favor with a powerful mayor while their relationship is still new - and to satisfy Haggerty's enemies in the Queens Republican Party.

Haggerty and his brother Bart have battled for control of the party for years against another faction that includes Chairman Phil Ragusa and Vice Chairman Vince Tabone.

Here's where it gets complicated: Tabone - who wouldn't comment - has a day job as an attorney for John Catsimatidis, the billionaire owner of Gristede's supermarkets and many other businesses.

Catsimatidis gave $17,500 to Vance's campaign and is hosting a fund-raiser Tuesday to pay off Vance's outstanding $227,176 campaign debt.

The Haggerty theory holds that Vance is cracking down on Tabone's enemy to win donations from Catsimatidis.